Category: Orange County NY

Middletown Police Make 2 Drug Arrests Following Month-Long Investigation

Middletown police officers arrested two men for illegal drug possession after a month-long joint investigation with the district attorney’s office, according to a March 24 police release.  The investigation aimed to disrupt the illegal trafficking of cocaine and heroin in the area.  One of the defendants, Noah Stark-Morris, was also caught with an illegal firearm. …


Seminar Informs Public About Communist Threat as Alleged China Cyberattack Hits Orange County Hospital

Over a hundred residents learned how the Chinese communist regime extended its long arm to threaten U.S. communities at a seminar in Warwick, New York. On the same day of the event, on March 22, a cyberattack out of mainland China was said to hit one of the largest health care providers in Orange County and held its system…


Mount Hope Town Councilman Brian Carey Elected Otisville Mayor

Brian Carey, a Republican Mount Hope councilman, won the Otisville mayoral race on March 21. He got 125 votes, as opposed to 101 votes by his Democratic opponent, Isaac Palmer. Carey told The Epoch Times in a statement: “Thank you to all that helped make this possible. I look forward to working with all village…


County’s First Veteran Housing Moves Ahead in Port Jervis

After working at it for almost four years, Bill Whetsel’s vision of the first veteran housing in Orange County, New York, is about to come true. Renovations on a newly purchased Port Jervis site just off Interstate 84 are to start in weeks, promising living spaces for 12 veterans.  “The community of Orange County is unbelievable…


Middletown Man Indicted by Grand Jury Following Downtown Robbery, Violent Attack

David Johnson was indicted by a grand jury on March 17 for allegedly robbing and beating a pedestrian in downtown Middletown, according to the county district attorney’s office.  The random, violent attack on a downtown sidewalk in broad daylight is a rare occurrence in the city, according to crime stats provided by the police department.  The…


Middletown’s Twin Towers Middle School to Start $81 Million Renovation

A long-planned $81 million renovation of Twin Towers Middle School in the City of Middletown, New York, will start construction in June.  Built around 1940, and currently serving about 1,000 students, the middle school building is deemed by school officials to be operating above functional capacity.  Student enrollment at Twin Towers has been declining by a few dozen…


County IDA Responds to Stricter Oversight Proposed by Sen. Skoufis

An Orange County IDA top official says the agency is already under sufficient state oversight and needs no more from New York State Sen. James Skoufis.  Bill Fioravanti, chief executive officer at the county’s Industrial Development Agency (IDA), said the agency reports to the New York State Authorities Budget Office and Comptroller’s Office and operates within the General…


Idaho Couple Revive Classical Education at Northern Schoolhouse

About one year into teaching English at the Northern Academy in Middletown, New York, Michael Fitzgerald was given an opportunity to start an elementary school, in his own model. At the time, principal Marilyn Torley was planning an expansion of the highly rated private academy to include elementary grades, and she turned to Fitzgerald and…


Otisville Village Trustee Lance Davoren Runs for Reelection

OTISVILLE, N.Y.—Current Otisville trustee Lance Davoren is running for reelection to continue to serve the residents in the village that he grew up in, he said. He is one of four candidates vying for two village trustee seats in a March 21 election. The other candidates include another incumbent Bob Clause, former trustee Bob Bennette,…


Otisville Village Trustee Bob Clause Runs for Reelection

Four-term Otisville trustee Bob Clause is running for reelection to move the village forward while preserving the past for generations to come. He is one of four candidates vying for two trustee seats up for reelection on March 21; other candidates are trustee Lance Davoren, former trustee Bob Bennette, and political newcomer Michael Dwyer. Clause…